Trace-support.



Patented 1an. 23, |900.

No. 64u70.

H. HAMMER.

TnAcfE suPPunT. (Application ed Sept. 25, 1899.)

(No Model.)

'I NTE STATES PATENT rines.

HENRY HAMMER, OF MOUNTAIN LAKE, MINNESOTA.

TRAC E-SU PPO RT.

srncrnicATIoN forming peut of Lettere Patent No. 641,770, dated Jennery as, 190e.

Appneeaen mea september 25,1899. serai No. 731,616. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom', t may concern:

Beit known that I, HENRY HAMMER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Mountain Lake, in the county of Cottonwood and State of Minnesota, have invented a new and useful Harness Attachment, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to'harness attacl1- ments, and particularly to what are known as trace-carriers, adapted to be disposed at the upper rear portion of harness and be connected with the four quarters of the same, such as the back-strap, crupper-straps, and the hip-straps; and the object in view is to produce a simple and eective arrangement of parts which will permit the cockeye of the trace to be more readily connected and disconnected by easy manipulation.

With this and other objects in View the invention consists in the construction and arrangement of the several parts, which will be more full hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the improved device, showing the free ends of traces attached thereto. Fig. 2 is a detail perspective view of the main frame of the carrier. Fig. 3 is a similar View of one of the clip-hooks. Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical section of the improved device.

Similarnumerals of reference are employed to indicate corresponding parts in the several views.

The numeral 1 designates a chafe-leather on which is disposed the main frame 2 of the carrier, which has a substantially quadrangular base composed of rear and front end bars 3 and 4 and opposite side bars 5. Convergingly extending upwardly and inwardly at an incline from each of the bars 3 and 4 are a pair of arms 6, which are connected by a longitudinally-disposed bracing-reach?. This skeleton frame facilitates the attachment of the various parts of the harness between which it is interposed, and by the particular construction set forth it is rendered strong and durable and presents an ornamental appearance, which may be added to by plaiting or other pleasing designs. The crupper and back straps are respectively attached to the bars 3 and 4 of the base, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1, and the hip-straps 8 are con:i nected to the side bars 5 in a manner which will be now described. The said side bars are reduced to form bearings 9, and ythereto are movaby connected clip-hooks 10, which comprise inwardly-extending hook members 11, with downwardly-directed terminals and bifurcated shanks 12 to provide upper and lower bearing-plates 13 and 14. A front concaved wall 15 is formed at the inner termina` tion of the bifurcation in each shank, and the said bifurcation in each instance is of such dimension as to permit the shank 12 to be slipped over the bearing 9 of each side bar 5, two of the clip-hooks being used, as shown, and adapted to have pivotal movement on the' said bearings. After the Shanks 12 of the clip# hooks have been slipped over the bearings 9 the hip-straps 8 are secured thereto and to `the lchate-leather 1 by having their terminals slipped into the bifurcations of said Shanks a suitable distance and without binding upon the said bearings, and the several parts are then all united by -rivets 16, as clearly shown by Figs. 1 and 4. The clip-hooks will then be projected inwardly toward the center of the carrier and be free to move on the bearings 9 of the side bars 5 by doubling or bending the chate-leather 1 upwardly by grasping it at points adjacent to land outside of the bars 5 and over which the Shanks 12 extend. Under normal conditions, however, the clip-hooks will be positioned as shown in Fig. 4 and provide a secure means of retaining the traces in connection therewith.

The cockeyes 17 of the traces 18 are slipped over the hook members of the clip-hooks, as shown in Fig. 1, and the traces fall down rearwardly over the bars 6 above the rear end bar 3. When in this'position, the traces will be prevented from dragging on the ground and becoming injured, and convenient means in a readily-accessible position will be provided for protecting the traces in the manner specilied when a horse or other animal is unhitched from a vehicle, andtying the traces into loops adjacent the collar is also prevented and which is noT acommon custom of shortening traces with injury thereto, as well understood in the art. The traces may remain in this connected condition until desired for use, and to facilitate their disconnection and after the harness is mounted upon the animal the upper extremities of the IOO hip-straps and the opposite side portions of the chate-leather are grasped and doubled inwardly, thereby throwing the hook members ll of the clip-hooks 10 outwardly and withdrawing the same from the cockeyes. This will allow the traces to fall from the carrier for ready application to the Vehicle in the usual manner.

The improved carrier is comparatively inexpensive in its production and easily applied to harness without material preparation, and to accommodate various uses changes in the form, proportions, and minor details may be resorted to without in the least departing from the nature or spirit of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is l. A device ofthe character set forth, comprisin g a supporting device to which the back and crupper straps are adapted to be connected and having opposite side bearings, clip-hooks movably mounted on the said bearings and having inwardly-directed hook members and hip-straps connected to said cliphooks.

2. A device of the character set forth, a carrier having opposite reduced side bearings, clip-hooks each havinganinwardly-extending hook member with the hook portion directed downwardly, and an outer bifurcated shank to movably embrace one of the bearings of the carrier, and hip-straps secured in the outer bifurcated Shanks of the clips and having their inner terminals adjacent the said bearings to hold the clips in proper relation to the latter.

3. A device of the character set forth, comprising in its essential organization a carrierframe having opposite side bearings and cliphooks lnovably mounted on said bearings and having the hook members directed inwardly toward the interior of the frame and outer bifurcated Shanks-for attaching purposes.

ln testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

HENRY HAMMER. Witnesses:

J. H. DICKMAN, E. E. LANE. 

